Ex-MP defends his right to criticise PPBM

Former Sungai Benut MP says all candidates and parties must allow themselves to be scrutinised.

(FMT) – Former MP Tawfik Ismail has defended himself against an attack by PPBM president Muhyiddin Yassin, saying it is his right as a voter to comment on political developments.

“As a voter in Johor, I have every right to question the candidates up for election and all candidates and parties must allow themselves to be scrutinised,” Tawfik told FMT.

Yesterday, in response to Tawfik’s criticism of PPBM’s list of election candidates for Johor, Muhyiddin said the former MP for Sungai Benut was ignorant about Johor affairs and had no business making comments about his party.

He also raised Tawfik’s expulsion from G25, the group of former Malay civil servants opposed to the mixing of politics and religion.

However, Tawfik hit back by saying G25 was not a formal organisation like PPBM “aspires” to be.

In 2015, G25 distanced itself from Tawfik after he claimed that Muhyiddin had sought the group’s support to topple Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Tawfik told FMT he had advised Muhyiddin not to go against Najib.

“When I met him with other G25 members, I was vocal in cautioning him,” he said.

“I told him that unless he was cleaner than Najib, he would have dirt flung back at him. I suggested that the fight for change was better left to younger, more idealistic and cleaner candidates.

“Are all his Johor candidates free of scandal?”